J Lo's Age In The Wedding Planner

In the 2001 romantic comedy film 'The Wedding Planner', Jennifer Lopez, then 31, played the role of Mary Fiore, a successful wedding planner in San Francisco. The film also starred Matthew McConaughey as Steve Edison, the groom in the biggest wedding of Mary's career, who she falls for.

J.Lo's age

J.Lo, or Jennifer Lopez, was 31 years old when she played the role of Mary Fiore in the 2001 romantic comedy film The Wedding Planner. The film follows the story of Mary, a successful wedding planner in San Francisco, who falls in love with the groom—a handsome doctor played by Matthew McConaughey—in the biggest wedding of her career.

Lopez was born on July 24, 1969, and her age has often been a topic of discussion in the entertainment industry. At the time of filming The Wedding Planner, Lopez was in her early thirties and had already established herself as a multi-talented star with a successful career in both acting and music.

Lopez's youthful appearance has been noted by many, and even years after The Wedding Planner, she has been praised for her ageless beauty. In 2016, an article in E! Online commented that Lopez hadn't aged a day since the film's release 15 years prior.

Lopez's co-star, Matthew McConaughey, also reflected on their collaboration fondly during a virtual reunion in 2021 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film. At the time, Lopez was 51 years old, showcasing her enduring presence in the industry.

The film's plot

In the 2001 film *The Wedding Planner*, Jennifer Lopez plays Mary Fiore, a successful and ambitious wedding planner in San Francisco. At the start of the film, Mary is 31 years old.

Mary is focused on her career and has no time for romance. Her father, Salvatore, wants her to marry her childhood acquaintance Massimo, but she is not interested. Mary is determined to become a partner at the wedding company she works for, so she pursues and lands a high-profile client, heiress Fran Donolly, who is engaged to her long-term boyfriend, "Eddie".

While on the phone to her colleague Penny, Mary gets her shoe stuck in a manhole cover. A passing man, Steve Edison, saves her from an oncoming dumpster. She later wakes up in the hospital and meets Steve, a local paediatrician, again. Penny invites him to an outdoor movie, where he and Mary dance and almost kiss before a rainstorm interrupts them.

Mary meets Fran and "Eddie" at a dance lesson, and it is revealed that "Eddie" is none other than Steve. Mary is upset but continues to plan the wedding. Steve discovers that Mary is supposedly engaged to Massimo, leading to quarrels between them. Despite this, they recognise their growing attraction, but Mary prioritises her career and agrees to marry Massimo.

Mary becomes a partner at her company and prepares for her wedding to Massimo. However, on the day of the wedding, Steve confesses his feelings to Fran, and they call off their wedding. Steve rushes to stop Mary from marrying Massimo, and her father also realises that the wedding is not what she wants. Mary leaves the ceremony and meets Steve at the park, where they finally kiss.

J.Lo's character

In the 2001 romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner", Jennifer Lopez plays Mary Fiore, a successful and ambitious wedding planner in San Francisco. Mary is extremely organized, hard-working, and knows exactly what to do and say to make any wedding a spectacular event. She knows all the tricks and rules of the trade, but ultimately breaks the most important rule of all: she falls in love with one of her clients, the groom himself.

Mary is first reintroduced to her childhood acquaintance Massimo by her father Salvatore, who wants them to marry. However, Mary declines as she is focused on her career and hopes to persuade her boss, Geri, to make her a partner at their company. She is then hired to plan a society wedding for heiress Fran Donolly and her long-term boyfriend, "Eddie". While reporting her success to her colleague Penny, Mary's shoe heel gets stuck in a manhole cover, and she is saved from an incoming speeding dumpster by a mysterious man, who turns out to be a pediatrician named Steve Edison.

Mary and Steve begin to develop feelings for each other, but Mary is conflicted as she is hired to plan Fran's wedding to Steve. Meanwhile, Mary's father continues to push for her to marry Massimo, and she eventually accepts his proposal, despite her feelings for Steve. However, on her wedding day, Mary realizes that Massimo is not the one for her and leaves. In the end, true love prevails as Steve confesses his feelings for Mary, and they kiss.

Lopez's portrayal of Mary Fiore showcases her character's ambition, determination, and eventual acceptance of love, despite the complications and conflicts that arise.

The film's cast

The cast of the 2001 romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner" included:

• Jennifer Lopez as Mary Fiore, a successful and ambitious wedding planner in San Francisco.
• Matthew McConaughey as Steve Edison, a handsome pediatrician who rescues Mary from a near-fatal collision and becomes her love interest.
• Bridgette Wilson-Sampras as Fran Donolly, an internet tycoon and catering heiress who hires Mary to plan her society wedding.
• Justin Chambers as Massimo Lenzetti, Mary's childhood acquaintance and her father's choice for her fiancé.
• Judy Greer as Penny Nicholson, Mary's colleague and friend who provides her with advice and support.
• Alex Rocco as Salvatore Fiore, Mary's father who tries to set her up with Massimo.
• Joanna Gleason as Mrs. Donolly, Fran's mother.
• Charles Kimbrough as Mr. Donolly, Fran's father.

The film also featured performances by Fred Willard, Lou Myers, Frances Bay, Kevin Pollak, and Kathy Najimy.

Lopez and McConaughey celebrated the 20th anniversary of the film in 2021, recalling their experience working together and the success of the film, which grossed $60 million at the domestic box office and $94 million worldwide.

The film's critical reception

In the 2001 film "The Wedding Planner", Jennifer Lopez, who was 31 at the time, played Mary Fiore, a successful wedding planner based in San Francisco. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with a 17% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 33 out of 100 on Metacritic. Critics described the film as "heavy-handed and contrived", "bland", and "unoriginal".

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly compared the film unfavourably to "My Best Friend's Wedding", writing that Lopez's performance lacked the "huggability" of Julia Roberts. Schwarzbaum also noted that McConaughey was "mortally ordinary" in comparison to Rupert Everett's performance in the earlier film. The Austin Chronicle's Kimberly Jones felt that the film was a disappointment, as both Lopez and McConaughey had "enormous charisma", but the "blandness" of the film "burlap-sacks their appeal".

A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that the "undeniable charisma" and "goofiness" of Lopez and McConaughey made the film "more painless than it has a right to be". Variety's Robert Koehler described it as "an attractive bridesmaid but hardly a gorgeous bride among romantic comedies". Michael Thomson of the BBC wrote that "after the two leads become less wired in each other's presence, and the sexual tension begins to droop, everyone seems to be reading an autocue".

Lopez was nominated for Worst Actress at the 22nd Golden Raspberry Awards for her performance in the film.

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